his is an unusual time – for DIA, our families, our communities, and our world. We are seeing our lives transformed in unprecedented ways, requiring us to rapidly adjust and build the future as we go.

Change can be unsettling, but it can also create opportunities for doing things in new ways. How are we thinking about DIA’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead? We are maintaining an unrelenting focus on our mission! Those who know me understand my commitment to DIA’s role in the global healthcare ecosystem. We were founded 56 years ago by visionary leaders during another health crisis – Thalidomide – and for fifty-six years we have ensured that healthcare professionals around the globe share their knowledge to advance the science and policies to help patients access the safe and effective therapies they need.

There are countless examples of the impact DIA has had that are relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, over the past 15 years we have supported China’s evolution of contemporary regulatory policy and the development of new therapies. This effort helped create the expertise that enabled China’s researchers to sequence SARS-CoV-2 within days and speed up the understanding of this novel coronavirus to support the search for treatments and a vaccine.

In addition, DIA’s long-standing efforts to help accelerate clinical trial design is important at a time when we urgently need therapies for COVID-19. The pandemic has also led to the need to treat patients in new ways. Here too, DIA has been ahead of the curve, not just in driving patient engagement in healthcare, but also helping create opportunities for technology to play a greater role, such as the use of wearables, robotics, remote monitoring, and big data integration.

DIA’s ongoing commitment to our mission thrives through catalyzing knowledge exchange around the world, both in-person and virtually. At this time of crisis, sharing knowledge to accelerate treatments has never been more important.

So, we’re not slowing down — we’re accelerating! We are using platforms, tools, and technologies to expand our ability to bring you the knowledge you need, to advance research and development of therapeutics to deal with this unprecedented pandemic. More than ever we are committed to our mission to bring healthcare professionals together to network, share their experiences, and advance knowledge together – and we’re doing it virtually.

DIA will continue in its role as a global neutral platform for knowledge-sharing and collaborative solutions for better patient outcomes worldwide. Thank you again for your continued support of DIA and dedication to our global mission.

Stay safe and healthy. We will get through this with renewed focus, energy, and commitment to the patients we serve.

Barbara Lopez Kunz
DIA Global Chief Executive